Welcome to this biweekly newsletter, written by me, Corye Perez Beene, Ph.D. I am a United States History Professor and certified “sports nut.” I find the sports stories from the past to the present that celebrate the Awesomeness of American Sports (NO politics!)
Thank you for your support! I am so appreciative of YOU being here 😃
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Personal note: My family and I just moved so I resigned my Tenured Full-Time Professor Position. I am looking for remote work in the Digital Media or Digital Sports media space. I can edit, proofread, write, curate stories, etc. Do you need someone to write your newsletter? If you are hiring or know of someone hiring for this type of work, would you reach out to me? Historybeene@gmail.com Thanks so much!
Gold Medal
The Paralympics are underway this week in Tokyo. Meet each member of Team USA HERE
I had the privilege of watching the Team USA women’s sitting volleyball team play a couple of years ago. They were amazing! I am looking forward to watching them and more Olympic action this week. HERE is the TV schedule for every event.
THESE competitors are under 18:
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels continues to amaze and continues to add to his long list of records. “Showtime” has hit 40 home runs this year - and he is a PITCHER! It is the most home runs hit by a pitcher who has thrown for at least 15 games. He broke Babe Ruth’s record from 1919 of 29 home runs. He has a 2.79 ERA which is…well… WOW!
Did you catch the “Field of Dreams” game last week? The “Field of Dreams” was a movie from 1989 in which Ray, an Iowa farmer (played by Kevin Costner) hears a voice: “if you build it, they will come.” He builds a baseball field in his cornfield and the ghosts of former baseball players show up to play.
The Chicago White Sox defeated the New York Yankees 9-8 at the site of the movie, Dyersville, Iowa. It was a huge success. It had the highest viewership for a regular season MLB game in the past 16 years!
Next year, the Cincinnati Reds will play the Chicago Cubs for “Field of Dreams” Part 2.
Here are some more facts about this historic baseball game: READ THIS
Silver Medal
Have you heard of Beach Soccer? The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup began last week and Team USA qualified. Their next match is Aug. 23 vs. Paraguay. The play consists of 5 vs. 5 (including a goalie) and as you can expect, the ball is lighter than a regular soccer ball. There are 36 minutes of playing time, divided into 3 periods of 12 minutes. Here is a picture of Team USA:
As I have written in past newsletters, the sports card collecting business is super hot right now. The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $6.606 million dollars! His card was in the American Tobacco Company’s cigarette pack, so the “T” in T206 stands for tobacco. They were produced from 1909-1911. Wagner did not give permission to have his likeness used in the card so it was taken off the market. Only 200 or so were printed, making the value go up.
Bronze Medal
One of my favorite sports TV personalities is Jackie MacMullan AKA “Jackie Mac.” If you watch ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” I am sure you have seen her. She is retiring from ESPN after 10 years. Jackie has received numerous awards including the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 and the PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing in 2019 (the 1st woman to get both).
Her last appearance on “Around the Horn” will be August 31st.
Hitting a hole-in-one is quite a feat but most golfers never get bragging rights on that one. This golfer, who happens to have no arms or legs, hit one recently!
A 100 year old woman is now in the Guinness Book of World Records. She is the oldest female competitive powerlifter. Edith Murway-Traina did not even start lifting weights until she was 91! Watch her in action below:
Thank you for reading! Are you looking for a speaker for your next event or conference? Email me at historybeene@gmail.com